Denver officer-involved shooting in March found justified

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Denver Police shoot suspect at 39th and Wolff. March 18, 2013.

Denver officer-involved shooting in March found justified

Denver Police shoot suspect at 39th and Wolff. March 18, 2013.

DENVER — The Denver District Attorney said Friday that the officer-involved shooting of a 17-year-old back in March was found to be legally justified.

Denver police officers Jeff Heinis and Kyle Smith shot a 17-year-old suspect who threatened them with two large knives near 39th Ave. and Wolff St. at about 6 p.m. on March 18.

Both officers were originally responding to a stabbing at the residence. When they arrived, they said they did not find a stabbing victim, but they encountered a young man sitting in the yard holding two large butcher knives.

“After several commands to drop the knives, the officers felt threatened at which time they fired several shots striking the individual,” said Denver Police Chief Robert White.

The 17-year-old suspect was conscious when he was taken to Denver Health Medical Center where he was treated for multiple gunshot wounds.

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said in a news release that based on the investigation, both officers Heinis and Smith were justified in firing their weapons because the juvenile had injured the victims before police arrived, and they threatened officers with deadly weapons.